DD-WRT, OpenWRT, and LEDE are excellent firmware replacements for an access point. The Netgear WNR2000v3 DD-WRT Wiki is very helpful in the setup process for that router (OpenWRT and LEDE require more Flash space and did not run properly on this router in my testing).

Despite how well DD-WRT works for this device, I wanted to restore the stock firmeware so that I could test it for security vulnerabilities. I was curious how easy it might be to hack it if I did not have DD-WRT.

I was using DD-WRT version v24-sp2 (03/19/12) std.

First, download the stock Netgear firmware for the device. I do not know if a specific version is best, but I found that [Firmware Version 1.0.1.26 (NA and WW Users)](https://www.netgear.com/support/product/WNR2000v3.aspx#Firmware Version 1.0.1.26 (NA and WW Users)) worked perfectly.

On Netgear’s site, click the Downloads button then + View Previous Versions link to see all available firmeware.

Once you have unzipped the img file from the downloaded firmware zip file, you can hold down the reset button on the router for 30 seconds. The power button should flash.

If that does not work, try powering off the router, holding down reset, and powering it on. The light should flash orange, then green. After it flashes green 10 times, you can release the reset button.

If you are wired in with a static IP, you should now be able to flash the router.

You can use atftp to push that firmware to your router. 

atftp \
	--option "mode octet" \
	--verbose \
	--put \
	--local-file wnr2000v3-V1.0.1.26.img \
	192.168.1.1

Wait several minutes. Eventually, the router should be available at http://192.168.1.1 with the stock firmware.

The default username is admin and the default password is password. If you choose not to use DD-WRT, be sure to immediately close all security flaws on your router!

Change the admin password, upgrade the firmware, secure your WiFi, disable remote management, and reconsider using DD-WRT.

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